We are taught, at an early age, to give love and show respect. Sadly, there are (too) many people in the world who seem to think their ‘wants and needs’ should come before basic human decency. Treating animals well and being kind to them is part of being a decent human being. I guess the people behind this disgusting practice missed the memo on that one!
Did you know that unwanted horses, by the thousands, are being loaded into cramped crates then flown to Japan? Every single week, horses are being loaded into planes in Edmonton, Calgary, Alberta and Winnipeg, Canada then flown to Manitoba in Japan.
They’re not being flown there to be companions. They are not being sent in their cramped crates to make a child happy or become a beloved pet. Instead, they are being used for a single, devastating reason and that is to be served as a meal. That meal is a sushi dish called “Basashi.”
In 2016, 6.5 million pounds of horsemeat was imported into Japan. 6.5 MILLION POUNDS!
“The meat needs to be consumed within three days after being slaughtered in order to be eaten as sushi,” Ewa Demianowicz, campaign manager for Humane Society International, told The Dodo.
The horses aren’t just used for food; they are used for their oil and put into Japanese and South Korean beauty products.
Since it’s illegal to import horses used for horsemeat from the United Staes to Japan, many unwanted horses are being shipped from the U.S. to Canada, where it’s not illegal to then send them overseas.
“It is sad and difficult to understand,” Debby Murtagh, director of research and community outreach for the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC), told The Dodo. “Japan relies on the imports to boost production to meet consumer demand.”
The horses are imported alive so that they can be raised in a specific way by the Japanese farmers so their meat can achieve ‘marbling.’
The horses suffer extensively on the long flights. According to the Animal Rescue Site, “They remain in cramped quarters for up to 18 hours without food or water. In fact, the laws enforced by Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) allow horses to go without food, water or rest for up to 36 hours.” How can this be happening?!
But most of the laws aren’t even enforced so the horses go longer than 36 hours. Sources say that the laws aren’t enforced because it would affect profit.
Ewa Demianowicz says, “If they were to follow regulations, it would not be as lucrative of a business.”
The Animal Rescue Site wrote, “During a flight in 2012, three horses died during a landing accident and six more died in flight due to the large size of the animals, the stress of the flight, and the inhumane conditions.”
All of this just to make a specific sushi dish? Disgusting!
To learn more about this horrific practice and what CHDC is doing to stop it, watch the video below!
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